When most people celebrate their birthdays, they might expect, oh, a couple dozen people to show up. When Christa Wittmier celebrates her birthday, hundreds show up, so when I didn’t know exactly where the venue was—in the vicinity of Coral and Auahi streets, I just figured I’d drive around the block and look for the commotion.

Of course it was easy to spot the night-lifers walking toward the a tent and warehouse at 683 Auahi, where I found parking just in time to take in Matt Bruening’s Spring 2012 PVNVH fashion show.

As befitting the fundraiser for the international Pow Wow Hawai’i art show coming next year, supercw.com presents The Best EVER!!! welcomed emerging and veteran DJs, artists and all-around creatives for one big, high-wattage party to match the birthday girl’s outsize personality.

The last time I saw a show by Matt was also at a birthday party for Christa when we were all standing around in the dark. This time was more formal, with runway seating on the floor for the parade of 26 ensembles in Matt’s draped, fluid style, with a few surprises thrown in. For now, those interested in any of the pieces can look for updates through at www.mattbruening.com, follow him on Twitter @mattbruening or email him at mattbruening@gmail.com.

What was funny was that I didn’t know Matt has a twin, Micah, so when I saw Micah roaming around before the show, I wondered why Matt wasn’t backstage fussing and worrying, as designers do. I tried to say hello, but of course Micah doesn’t know me, so he walked by. Still thinking he was Matt, I figured he had a lot on his mind, so it’s always better to catch up after the show, which is when I saw the two together. That’s when you can see how they look different, but nevertheless, all the photographers were marveling at the strong resemblance.

Some of his more nomadic pieces were accompanied by luxurious fur bags by fellow designer Farida Ong. Afterward, I cornered her to make sure she has pink bags coming for spring. She’s working on them right now!

Now that it’s the holidays, a lot of models are home, whether back from school or back to visit family, and one of Matt’s models was a homecoming Courtney Arndt, who drew cheers when she appeared, from all those who’ve missed her local runway, print and television presence.

Zippers, asymmetry and parachute draping went into this edgy take on the LBD.

Matt has tended to favor a dark palette of black, gray, navy and gray-blues, but this time around, he added a creamy white in a romantic draped and off-the-shoulder dress.

Courtney Arndt, back from the mainland, made her return to the local runway, which brought on a lot of cheering.